The Australian Open has made a significant change to its years-old format, which has not been well received by everyone. Tennis Australia has added a day more to the tournament and shifted from the time-based format. This comes after the players expressed their displeasure at playing matches till 2-3 am in the morning. Notably, Novak Djokovic was very vocal in bringing about this change.
In an attempt to reduce player burnout, Tennis Australia has brought about a change in the Australian Open schedule. The tournament will now go on for an extra day, making it a total of 15 days.
Novak Djokovic helped bring about the change at Australian Open
The Australian Open organisers have announced that the tournament will commence from Sunday in 2024, which will make it a 15-day tournament. The decision comes after multiple media reports claimed that the timing of the matches have increased, resulting in more late night finishes than ever. Novak Djokovic, the 10-time champion at the Australian Open, has earlier expressed his displeasure with the organisers for the 2023 edition. The Serbian admitted that although late night matches are fun for the fans, they are ‘grueling’ for the players.
“Whether it’s decisive, we know that it’s not because it comes down to what the TV broadcasters want to have. For the crowd, it’s entertaining, it’s exciting, to have matches [at] midnight, 1, 2, 3am. For us, it’s really gruelling. Even if you go through and win, prevail in these kind of matches, you still have to come back. You have your sleeping cycle, rhythm disrupted completely, not enough time really to recover for another five-setter. Something needs to be addressed in terms of the schedule after what we’ve seen this year.”
Andy Murray is another big name who has been equally vocal when it comes to late night scheduling, calling it ‘a bit of a farce’ after one of his matches in the 2023 edition against Kokkinakis ended at 4 am. After increasing complaints from the players, Tennis Australia has announced an extra day of the Grand Slam tournament to reduce the stress on the players.
Changes made for Australian Open 2024
Tennis Australia has announced a major change for the Australian Open 2024, as the Grand Slam will start on a Sunday for the first time in history. While the fans were happy to see their favorite tennis stars compete in late night games, it was getting tougher for the players.
Tournament Director of the Australian Open, Craig Tiley admitted that they have listened to the feedback of the players and decided to make a change. According to the changes, the first round of the tournament will now be played for three days instead of two. However, the second week of the Australian Open will remain the same.
“We’ve listened to feedback from the players and fans and are excited to deliver a solution to minimise late finishes, while continuing to provide a fair and equitable schedule on the stadium courts. The additional day will achieve this, benefiting scheduling for fans and players alike. The first round will now be played over three days instead of two, also giving fans an extra day of unbelievable tennis, entertainment, food and family fun.”
To lessen the possibility of late finishes, the day session at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena will include a minimum of two matches, down from three and the night sessions will continue to include at least two matches.
As the Australian Open announces new changes, the players will be happy with an extra day. This change will enable the tennis stars to rest and recover their body as they look to start off their tennis season with a win at the Australian Open.
